Bisexuality Defined

A preview for the 5 minute speech I will present on Monday.  The instructor requires a very specific outline, so I figured I would share that with all of you, just to prove I have been hard at work since my last posting.

SPEECH 2

INFORMATIVE SPEECH w/o VA Rough Draft Key Word  Outline

Directions: This form is to be filled out by you and given to your instructor prior to your speech.

Name: Laura Benedict  ______________________ Date_9/6/13______ Topic: Bisexuality___

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience that bisexuality is multi-dimensional __________________

Central Idea: Physical attraction and sexual activities are two related, but distinct facets of bisexuality.

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: (Circle the one you are using)

cause and effect          chronological               comparison & contrast spatial              topical

INTRODUCTION

            Attention getter: (What will you do to gain the audience’s attention?)

Bisexual.org declares, “The only mistake you can make is to be untrue to yourself and try to live a life that is someone else’s vision,” (Bisexual.org, 2013).

            Statement of significance:

Our group today is composed of bisexuals and those who support bisexuals.  But what does it mean to be bisexual?

            Preview:

There are two related, but distinct facets of a bisexual identity: attraction and activity.

            Transition: I find it most logical to discuss attraction before activity.

BODY:

Main point 1: Attraction

The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe states that bisexuality is “The potential for physical, romantic, or emotional attraction to more than one gender,” (Kristal and Szymanski, 2006:13)

A.    Gary Gates, a Williams Distinguished Scholar, who studied at least 9 studies concerning the LGBT community, estimates that 25.6 million American adults admits to some same-sex attraction (Gates, 2011: 7).

1.      I can find a person attractive today, but not tomorrow.  I can find a body style attractive, but it can all go out the window when ne opens nir mouth.

                        2.  I can be attracted to a pair of legs, an outfit, or the ideals ne discusses.

            B.   Attraction alone does not make one bisexual.

1.  A person not wanting to identify as bisexual does not have to fear that just because ne finds members of other genders to be attractive from time to time, that ne will automatically be labeled as bisexual.

2.      That being said, a person who wishes to identify as bisexual should have no difficulty doing so on the basis of attraction alone.  A person does not have to act on nir attraction to self-identify as bisexual.

            Transition: Which brings me to my next point, sexual activity.

Main point 2: Sexual Activity

The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe completes their definition of bisexual by adding that bisexuals admit, “…the potential, not the requirement, for involvement with more than one gender,” (Kristal and Szymanski, 2006: 13).

A.    Gates also found that nearly 19 million American adults admitted to engaging in some sort of sexual activity with a member of the same gender (Gates, 2011: 7).

1.    I include kissing as a sexual activity because it is often one of the first physical contacts one has with a potential romantic partner.  After you kiss someone, you can say to yourself, “Hey, I like that! I want to do that again!”  Or, you can say, “Hmm, I think this is a good place to stop.”

2.    A person who kisses a member of another gender and decides to never do that again, does not have to identify as bisexual.  However, if a person likes kissing members of more than one gender, that person can safely identify as bisexual without having to actually have sex with any of those people.

B.    Which brings me to the actual act of sex.

1.      A person may bring nimself to have sex with a member of the same gender, decide this activity is not to nir liking, and never engage in that activity again.  Said person may never identify as bisexual…and that’s okay.

2.      Another person may decide ne likes having sex with members of the same gender.  If said person had already decided ne likes sexual activity with members of another gender, that person may very well decide to identify as bisexual.

            Transition: As you can see, bisexuality is multi-dimensional in nature.

CONCLUSION:

            Restatement of significance:

Physical attraction and sexual activities are two separate, but related ideas when discussing bisexuality. 

            Review:

It is difficult to engage in sexual activity without some level of attraction, but it is not difficult to be attracted without ever engaging in sexual activity.  Essentially, it is the right of every person to decide whether ne is bisexual.

           

Closing device:

John Benedict, a local bisexual community leader, defines bisexuality as, “A bisexual identity speaks to the potential, not the requirement for involvement with more than one gender…Most bisexuals do not have to be involved with more than one person at a time in order to feel fulfilled.  We see the person, not the gender.”

References:

Benedict, J. (2013) “My Intro” in Bisexual News and Views. Retrieved September 6, 2013 from http://jebenedict.blogspot.com

Bisexual.org (2013) Questions & Answers. Retrieved September 4, 2013 from http://bisexual.org

Gates, G.J. (2001) How Many People Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender? Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law (p. 7)

Kristal, N. and Szymanski, M. (2006). The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe: Quips, Tips, and Lists for Those Who Go Both Ways. New York: Alyson Books (p. 13)